Browse On the Job Articles

A new study out in Science Translational Medicine shows that the benefits of painkillers can be boosted or wiped out simply by manipulating some very simple factors. The BBC reported on how a patient's attitude can affects on the results of studies and in the use of new drugs. Heat was applied to the legs of 22 patients, who were ...

The CEO of Hewlett Packard, Mark Hurd, got fired last week following an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by a former contractor, Jodie Fisher. After the probe into the allegations, the company found Hurd had not violated HP’s sexual harassment policy but he did monkey around with $20,000 of company funds. Now Fisher, who was also a reality show contestant, ...

A diabetic patient can be difficult to handle, especially if the patient has been recently diagnosed. Treating diabetes requires careful monitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Newly diagnosed diabetic patients may also have to abruptly change their diet, get more exercise and take insulin. As a caregiver, you’ll probably not only treat the patient but also serve as ...

This week I had to put my dog of 16 years to sleep. He was my best friend and constant companion for all those years. I had him before I married my wife and was there for me for all the good and bad parts of my life. After I left the vet’s office, it got me thinking about the debate ...

Although discussing end of life care is often avoided in the general robust working population, working in the healthcare industry has made me highly aware of the importance of making these difficult decisions before it is too late. Typically, when a patient is admitted to the hospital, options for advanced directives are presented and decisions about said directives are encouraged. As ...

On a scale of zero to ten, how often do you wish you could somehow wave a magic wand and know how much pain your patient is in—zero being never and ten being every day? Four? Ten? Twenty? ER Doc Brady Pregerson and Nurse Rebekah are ready to “go there” in the first of a four-part series on pain management. Dr. ...

Ahh, the shaking of hands. It sounds simple enough: Two hands meet and greet and do a little shake. Easy, right? Not so fast. Unfortunately, there are quite a few ways a handshake can go south. From an overly moist hand to a bone-crushing grip, handshakes come in all shapes and sizes — and only the best will hit the ...

There's a lot of talk about the pipeline — that magical conveyer belt that calls a select few up toward the top of organizations. The pipeline is critically important for women, who in most organizations are notably absent from it. This underrepresentation of eligible females is often cited as the excuse for everything from pay inequity and the shortage of women ...

Almost all mature companies have shed employees at some point--and in most cases the pink slips don't come as a surprise. "Very often senior management will delay a decision to cut headcount, so unless there is a quick catastrophic event, layoffs have been a long time coming," explains Scott Steinberg, CEO of TechSavvy Global. How can you know if your job ...

We had a BIG lapse in communication on the floor recently. A vital patient assessment was communicated incorrectly and the effect was scary. As usual, the lapse was not just one person’s fault, and the whole unit was upset. Ever played Gossip? It’s a game where a “secret” is whispered into the ear of one person, then that person whispers the ...

I guess this is the month to talk about being thankful, which is an area I struggle with and need to continuously work on in my own life. It is so difficult for me to look beyond what I have—and yes, I have everything I need—and instead look for the stuff out there that I really, really want. I really believe ...

As if nursing wasn't stressful enough, some patients make it a point to make your jobs even more difficult. Whether they are ungrateful, disrespectful, or just plain clueless, these annoying patients tend to grate on your last nerves. Unfortunately, most of the time, there's not much you can do about it, save calling security if things get really out of ...

Since the recession began in December 2007, more than half of all American workers have become unemployed, taken a pay cut, suffered a reduction in hours, or had to take a temporary job because they couldn't find a full-time position, according to the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends Project. You probably don't need a study to tell you the ...

How many night nurses have you met who swear they have, at one time or another, seen or heard something during their shifts that can’t quite be explained? According to a CBS News article in 2005, 22 percent of Americans believe they have seen or felt a ghost and 48 percent said they believe in ghosts. As healthcare professionals who deal ...

One of this summer’s hottest concert series is by two 80’s boy bands. Yes, The New Kids on the Block (NKTOB) and the Backstreet Boys (BSB) are hitting the road and selling out places like Chicago. Now, if these guys can come back with a vengeance, then so can anyone out there who is feeling like their career is in the ...

Nurses love telling stories, don't we? If I didn't know any better you'd think we were all serving in the military in some fashion the way we tell stories of days long ago. If it isn't an incident that happens at work, it's something someone says or does. Or maybe it's something you see at the bedside. A lot of times ...

Any nurse who has been rejected by a nurse clique or has been the victim of another nurse’s malicious gossip wonders, “Weren’t we all supposed to grow out of this?” Unfortunately, no. According to one study, 38 percent of working adults have experienced bullying at work and 42 percent have witnessed bullying behavior. And while most workplace bullies are men, women ...

Saving the life of a murderer? Caring for a gang member? A prisoner? Treating a pedophile? Check your personal feelings at the door? All of these scenarios are very real, and can happen to you being a nurse. In fact, for me, they’ve happened. We all are trained, educated, re-trained, and re-educated on the standard of care. It’s called discrimination and ...

Memo to Americans: As a group, for every $1,000 we bring in after taxes, we are saving $7, according to the Commerce Department. Why bring this up? Because if you're anticipating an annual bonus this year, you should probably skip the cruise. Considering salary increases are barely keeping pace with inflation, no wonder white-collar workers are coveting those bonuses to help ...

The night shift is a beast of sorts that many nurses need to conquer fresh out of nursing school. This is because new-grad day shifts are usually hard to come by (think specialty nursing). Also, many nurses end up working nights at some point in their career. Fresh out of school, I dreaded working nights, and while I would still like ...